A horrific fire accident that broke out around midnight at an old iron shop warehouse operating in the residential area of Anna Nagar in Ponamaravathi, Pudukkottai district, has left the local residents in great fear.
The authorities’ indifference, despite complaints being filed with the Chief Minister’s special cell about this ongoing problem of poor sanitation and traffic congestion, has caused outrage among the public.
At the warehouse of the old iron shop operating in Anna Nagar, Ponamaravathi, a sudden fire broke out around 12 midnight on Diwali night, 08/11/2026.
After receiving the information and rushing to the scene, firefighters battled the blaze fiercely for about half an hour and brought it under control.
The fire quickly spread through plastic items, tires, and old refrigerators that had been piled up inside the warehouse.
Local residents say in fear that oxygen, LPG, and acetylene gas cylinders used for cutting iron materials may have been inside, and if the fire had spread to them as well, the damage would have been even greater.
When asked about the cause of the fire, fire department officials said, "The fire may have started due to friction between the materials inside the iron shop."
Fortunately, a major loss of life was averted, but since it is a residential area surrounded by houses, people lost sleep and suffered through the middle of the night on Diwali.
Chief Minister's special cell complaint:
Initially, this was opened as an ordinary old scrap iron buying shop. But now it has grown into a large establishment with a giant machine that compresses plastic items and loads them onto trucks using a crane for export.
The biggest question mark is whether proper No Objection Certificates (CTO) have been obtained from the panchayat administration and the fire department for placing this machine in a residential area.
In addition, old items have been dumped in a huge pile right on the road in front of the shop. Residents of the area say they have even filed complaints up to the Chief Minister’s special cell demanding that it be removed, but the concerned department officials have not taken any action so far.
Severe traffic congestion is caused in this area by the old items dumped outside the shop encroaching on the space, the tempos that come to collect scrap iron, and the loading of plastic bundles onto lorries using a crane.
Thousands of students from various villages such as Veguppatti, Kuli Pirai, Nerkuppai, Ozhugamangalam, Konnappatti, Konnaiyur, Poolankurichi, Arasamalai, and Karaiyur are studying only in the private schools in Ponnamaravathi.
It is this route that the students of Amala Annai School and Lions School have to pass through every day. In particular, the 6 buses of Amala Annai School and the 8 buses of Lions School get caught in this congestion during the morning and evening hours.
Because iron objects like nails are sometimes scattered on the road, small children who walk to school are in a dangerous situation, having to make their way among vehicles with their lives in their hands. Drivers also say that the tires of school vehicles are getting punctured.
Old items dumped by the roadside have completely blocked the area’s drainage canal, preventing wastewater from flowing out and causing it to stagnate. In addition, rainwater has collected in old Syntex tanks left in the open outside the shop, creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes and raising the risk of the spread of dengue and other infectious diseases.
Children coming from different villages are also at risk of contracting infections.
We spoke to the local residents about this.
"From the very beginning, we’ve been saying not to throw any outside items. But they won’t listen. If the fire that broke out in the warehouse had caught the items in front of the shop, their shop would have caught fire too; our house would have caught fire too. The power line runs right above the shop.
There’s a lot of mosquito trouble. The people in our house haven’t been able to sleep for two weeks. Since the old washing machine, fridge, and Sintex tank are left out in the open, water is collecting there. The garbage they dump is clogging the drain.
They have a machine for compressing plastic. The noise from it makes it impossible to stay in the house.
Their business should not be affected either. At the same time, the neighboring residents should not be affected in any way. It would be good if all the items kept outside were taken inside. We have told them many times too. But they didn’t listen. That is why we filed a complaint with the CM Cell. But no action was taken on it. It would be good if a solution is found soon," they said.
We contacted the Ponnamaravathi Block Development Officer to seek clarification on this. Since the term of the panchayat council president in Thottiyampatti Panchayat has now ended, he instructed us to speak to the zonal officer currently overseeing that panchayat.
Accordingly, when we asked the zonal officer, he said, "Before Diwali itself, we went to that shop in person and warned them to remove the items that had been encroached upon and kept there. Following that, they had also cleaned it up only in name. Now you are saying that old fridges and Sintex tanks are again being kept outside.
I will immediately send the village panchayat secretary and ask them to inspect it again in person. Appropriate action will be taken soon to rectify this," he said.
Further, in response to the question of whether proper permission (CTO) had been obtained to install the plastic compactor machine, he replied, "I do not know whether it was purchased during the tenure of the previous panchayat council chairman; I will verify that as well."
Continuing, when asked about the complaint submitted by the public to the Chief Minister’s special cell, he said, "Yes, sir... the people have also complained. They said it is causing a lot of trouble for schoolchildren. I will issue orders to fix this soon."